America Shut Down

[Kansas Terri]

When guns are legal, good guys and bad guys carry guns.
When guns are illegal, it's only the bad guys.

Here in the USA many cities with the toughest gun laws also have a remarkably high crime rate. The criminals know that the homeowners will not be armed and so it makes them bolder, because the criminals all do have guns.

I think that in Great Britain guns are rare in general, but that is just the impression that I have!.

 

[zigs]

You can get a licence for guns in the uk, it's usually shotguns as opposed to hand guns and its very strictly controlled by the police.

If you find a burglar in your house, its highly unlikely that he'll be armed.

2010/12 statistics,

58 Murders a year by Firearms in Britain, 8,775 in US

Bit of a difference there.

 

[Kansas Terri]

You can get a licence for guns in the uk, it's usually shotguns as opposed to hand guns and its very strictly controlled by the police.

If you find a burglar in your house, its highly unlikely that he'll be armed.

2010/12 statistics,



Bit of a difference there.

A very big difference indeed! Even when you take into account the differences in the populations.

One problem is, it is not easy to get the guns from the criminals, and in America if you surprise a man in your home there is an EXCELLENT chance of him being armed!

To make things more complicated, the drug runners from Mexico are so bold that the Federal government put up signs advising that American citizens not go through a particular area in America. The organized crime from Mexico had taken control of the area, and they were using snipers to keep it that way. Law enforcement had asked for assistance from the Federal government, and the signs were the help that they got!

If we did a reset with no guns, hopefully that would include the entire continent! Otherwise the Americans who have guns will want to keep them.

Personally, I would love to know how the Swiss do it, as every man there is expected to own a gun and military service for men is compulsory, yet their murder rate is very low!

 

[zigs]

There is a percentage of criminals that use guns over here, but they're not so likely to be carrying them as a matter of course, they only take them out on special occasions, like bank/shop hold ups, even then, shops are more likely to be held up with knives or baseball bats.

We have gun & knife amnesties here too, dates where you can hand weapons that you shouldn't have into the police without fear of prosecution. That does actually work.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-180650/Gun-amnesty-nets-40-000-weapons.html

I've been to Switzerland, far to clean and tidy to even think about making a mess by shooting someone.

 

[lemonzest]

Yeah, I read something about an amnesty in Leicester, someone brought in like a musket or something so it made some headlines.

 

[Annetteb]

The government workers are getting paid even if they aren't working. The government takes care of their own. Unfortunately the American People are not considered their own.

I think it is sad that our government really does not care about the people. They do not have to suffer financial difficulties like the rest of us commom people and that is the problem They need to see what it is like to have nothing. May teach then some humility, but then again maybe not.

 

[Kansas Terri]

The Congress now has an approval rating of 5%. It is unfortunate that the next elections are now just over a year away. If they were held next month I bet a lot of the politicians would be replaced! And it would do the country good if they WERE replaced!

Alas, Americans tend to have short memories, and the current politicians have a full year to encourage people to forgive them. The insanity continues: I watched a little news today and it depressed me!

 

[Annetteb]

Yeah the news depresses me too. I think all the politicians need to be replaced. Maybe then this country will start getting better. I don't see tgat happening though because politicians are sneaky and they always find ways to stay in office.

 

[Elizabeth]

This America shut down has impacted so many people and that's what the government doesn't realize. All because they can not agree on something?!? I thought this was supposed to be a democracy. If it was such a big issue about the health plan and the budget why not have America vote on where we want the money to be spent and stop making all of these people suffer for there mistakes. Where I live the social service offices are completely closed and people are furious.

 

[Annetteb]

Yeah there are a lot of people furious over the shut down where I live too. I think that they need to go on ahead and come up with a compromise about the budget and healthcare plan. They wanted the healthcare plan in the first place now they change their minds. It's too late to chsnge their minds if they didn't like it to begin with then they should not have passed it. But hey they were too busy trying to make Obama look bad.

 

[Annetteb]

A friend of my sisters says that the shutdown is all the democrats fault. The Republicans are the ones trying to help the people. I argued with that person about that because the Republicans are the readon the gov shutdown because they didn't want to compromise. I know there are people who would disagree with me, but I think they need to realize that the gov is always going to do what's best for them forget about the people. Even though we are the ones who put them in office in the first place.

 

[Pat]

This government shutdown is a mess. It is so hard to believe anything that is said by any one in the government. I am also angry at them all. We pay our taxes to have a good government and this is what we get more confusion. I don't understand why there is so much uproar about the healthcare issue, other countries have no problem with their healthcare. It has been shown that a person that has high healthcare bills that they can not pay file bankruptcy to get out from under the bill. That cost the government federal and state money if the house goes into foreclosure there is no taxes being paid on that property, which is used to support the area and country.

 

[Jewell]

There was compromise, after compromise made since last January. It was never enough for 23 tea party members of Congress, and it didn't do away with the health care bill which certain congress people have had as a goal.

This was at least the fourth time this year a few congress people held the House of Representatives hostage. They are willing to have our country default on debts and send the economy into a tail spin. It makes me sick that a few of the very rich people (read about the Cox brothers and the Australian owner of Fox News, who owns independent TV stations in many local areas) are pulling the strings for their own gains. The American public as a whole listens to and believes sound bites that have truth in reality. I don't watch US TV news any more if I want to know what and how we are doing.

 

[Becky]

There is a percentage of criminals that use guns over here, but they're not so likely to be carrying them as a matter of course, they only take them out on special occasions...

This made me chuckle! I love your way with words zigs!

My heart goes out to anyone in the US affected by the shutdown, and I sincerely hope it is over soon.

 

[zigs]

This made me chuckle! I love your way with words zigs!

My heart goes out to anyone in the US affected by the shutdown, and I sincerely hope it is over soon.

I toyed with adding "special occasions like weddings and funerals,"